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papermoonloveslucy · 1 year

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SUPER BOWL BALL!

LUCY & THE GRIDIRON

Even the Queen of Comedy was a gridiron groupie! Here’s a pigskin parade of touchdown moments of Lucy and the sport of FOOTBALL!

1934 ~ As a young model and actress, Lucille Ball didn’t just take film jobs. Here she poses in football gear with Billie Seward at Bovard Field in Los Angeles.

“Three Little Pigskins” (1934) ~ A football-themed film starring the Three Stooges and Lucille Ball.

The second half of the film was shot at Gilmore Stadium. The Los Angeles stadium was newly built in 1934 and had a seating capacity of 18,000. Coincidentally, the stadium was later sold to CBS and became the site of Television City.

Too Many Girls (1939) ~ The Broadway production of the musical featured Eddie Bracken and Desi Arnaz as football players. Both would be featured in the film version a year later. Interestingly, it was a football injury that kept Desi Arnaz stateside during World War II.

Too Many Girls (1940) ~ Van Johnson (center) was added for the film version. It was this film that introduced Lucille Ball to Desi Arnaz.

On June 26, 1948, Dorothy Manners’ column reported that Lucille Ball was cast in Interference, a film about pro football starring Victor Mature, to be produced by RKO.

The film was not released until October 1949, by which time its title had been changed to Easy Living. The film features the real-life Los Angeles Rams football team

“The Football Game” (1950) ~ Liz (Lucille Ball) and Iris are determined to go to the annual State University homecoming football game with the boys, until the boys tell them they aren’t planning to take them along this time.

IRIS: I can hardly wait to get to the game and watch that old quarterback make a home run. LIZ: Iris, it’s not a home run, it’s a touchdown. And isn’t a quarterback, it’s a second baseman. RUDOLPH: It’s a shame not to take them along, George. Wouldn’t they love to see the jockey run 65 yards to a knockout?

“The Saxophone” (1952) ~ When Lucy finds her saxophone, she mentions to Ethel that she was in the high school marching band in Celoron in order to date a football player.

“The Benefit” (1952)

“Ricky Minds the Baby” (1954) ~ Little Ricky wanders off while Ricky and Fred watch a football game on TV.

“Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drums” (1956) ~ Sports fan Fred is trying to catch up on his reading with a November 1954 copy of Sports Illustrated with San Francisco 49′ers Quarterback Y.A. Tittle, the first professional football player, on the cover.

Tittle will be mentioned again in “Lucy the Fixer” (1969).

February 1956 ~ Lucy returns to Jamestown by helicopter and sees that fans have spelled out a greeting on the snow-covered Jamestown High School football field.

“Lucy and Superman” (1957) ~ Lucy’s make-shift Superman costume features a football helmet!

ETHEL: I still think the helmet is wrong. Superman doesn’t wear a helmet. LUCY: He would if he was trying to cover up his red hair!

“The Bob Hope Buick Sports Award Show” (1961) ~ Lucille Ball is one of the celebrity presenters. Coincidentally, her name in the opening credits is over a football game, although she later presents an award to boxer Floyd Patterson.

“Lucy is a Referee” (1962) ~ Jerry and Sherman’s football game is going to be canceled due to the lack of a referee, so Lucy volunteers.

With the help of her boyfriend Harry (Dick Martin), she learns all the signals, but cannot help interfering on her son’s behalf and clumsily affecting the outcome of the game.

At the start of this episode, Lucy is searching for her son’s lost Johnny Unitas football card. At first, Viv thinks that Frankie Avalon and Ricky Nelson are football players, too. Lucy reads out the sports cards of ‘Red’ Phillips, then a player for the Los Angeles Rams, and Jimmy Brown, of the Cleveland Browns. Divorcee Viv laments that the players’ age and marital status are not given.

Lucy offers to take both teams to a pro football game, but a blizzard strands them all at Lucy’s house, watching the big game on TV.

The Mighty Mites of the Venice Athletic Club was a pee-wee football team from Venice Beach, California, that took the parts of both the home and away teams in this episode.

“Lucy Puts Up a TV Antenna” (1962) ~ Sherman and Jerry are excited that the All-American Football Team is going to be on TV. This continues the boys’ enthusiasm for football, established in “Lucy is a Referee”. Later, when trapped on the roof, Lucy mentions that Chris is having her music lesson and the boys are playing football.

“Lucy the Co-Ed” (1970) ~ Harry’s old flame Gloria is in town to help produce a musical for their college alumni. They resurrect a show Harry wrote in college.

Harry (Gale Gordon) plays ‘Crazy Hips,’ Bullwinkle University’s football star.

As the curtain goes up, the orchestra plays “You Gotta be a Football Hero (To Get Along with the Beautiful Girls)” written by Al Sherman, Buddy Fields and Al Lewis in 1933. It is one of the most widely recorded and performed football anthems of all time.

The song was first sung by Craig (Desi Arnaz Jr.) in “Lucy and Carol Burnett” (1969) to raise money for the school gym.

FUMBLE! The white football Craig tossed away during his solo number is stranded on stage. Desi Jr. must stoop down to scoop it up during his entrance for the finale.

“Lucy the Skydiver” (1970) ~ When Lucy sees her daughter in a motorcycle helmet she asks if she’s playing for the Rams, Los Angeles’ hometown football team. Later, when she has the parachute pack strapped to her back, Lucy says she feels like she’s carrying the Green Bay Packers, yet another football reference in this sports-themed episode that aired (coincidentally) the same day as the premiere of Monday Night Football.

“Lucy and Aladdin’s Lamp” (1971) ~ Craig (Desi Arnaz Jr.) wishes for two tickets to the sold-our Rams Football game. After a dramatic thunder clap, Craig gets a call from his friend Alan who offers him a ticket.

In the same episode, Lucy pulls out a fur-lined jacket she says was worn by Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce (1945). Craig says that judging by the shoulder pads she could have worn it in The Spirit of Notre Dame, a 1931 football-themed movie starring Lew Ayres.

“Lucy and Joe Namath” (1972) ~ The series brings back the character of Craig for a special appearance by football player turned actor ‘Broadway’ Joe Namath.

Actual clips of Namath on the field for the New York Jets (#12) are featured.

After the show was over, Namath sent Lucille Ball an autographed football.

“Super Comedy Bowl” (1971) ~ In a sketch, Lucille Ball played an ER nurse who ‘manhandles’ football player Joe Namath after an accident. The sketch was written by Arnold Kane, who wrote about it in his book, My Meteoric Rise to Obscurity.

“Super Comedy Bowl” (1972) ~ The next year Lucie Arnaz followed in her mother’s footsteps, appearing on the special with football great Bubba Smith.

“The Big Game” (1973) ~ O.J. Simpson speaks at Harry’s Chamber of Commerce luncheon and passes on a couple of free passes to a sold out football game.

To get into the spirit of the occasion, Mary Jane brags she is wearing her Tommy Trojan pendant. Mary Jane says she learned a lot about football because of her crush on Howard Cosell,one of television’s most famous and enigmatic sportscasters.

The football hanging above the head table falls into the punch bowl - splashing Simpson in the face. Touchdown!

“Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball” (1974) ~ The on-screen announcer is played by Tom Kelly, who first called play-by-play for college football. He described the action of five USC national championship football teams, five Heisman Trophy winners, and 92 first team All-American footballers. Kelly previously played himself in “The Big Game” sharing the screen with O.J. Simpson.

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jasonblaze72 · 2 years

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Tales From The Territories Episode 2: Release Date and Streaming Guide For USA, Australia

Tales From The Territories is a Vice Production television series currently airing on Vice TV. The First episode of the show is already released, with a great response from the audience, and fans are already looking forward to Tales From The Territories Episode 2. Tales From The Territories is being produced under a joint project between Dwayne Johnson and Seven Bucks Productions led by Dany Garcia. The best part about the fans of Wrestling is that it is helmed by the same team that delivered the super hit series called Dark Side of the Ring. The interview with the official revealed that a single episode of the show would especially be dedicated to Stampede Wrestling. The creators of the show have worked really hard repeatedly to get in touch with Bret Hart and his father, Stu Hart, who ran the Stampede territory officially between 1948 and 1984. https://twitter.com/VICETV/status/1556720901894406144?ref_src=twsrctfwtwcamptweetembedtwterm1556720901894406144twgr476680519a60be49b4b661d303e8b11a0d9c6126twcons1_&ref_url=httpsotakukart.com035504tales-from-the-territories-episode-1-release-date-when-wrestling-was-real The First episode of Tales From The Territories was titled Memphis: Where Wrestling Was Real, the was focused on Bret. However, has been seen alongside Stampede veteran Abdullah the Butcher. We also saw Dr. David Schultz and Bobby Bass, who was the "No Class" on the show. After this fabulous episode 1, fans are more excited for the release date of Tales From The Territories Episode 2. But before jumping into the release date and training guide of Episode 2, here is the overview of the show for those who don't know. ALSO READ: WWE SmackDown Results (10/07/22): Roman Reigns And Logan Paul Come Face To Face The Concept Behind The Show "Tales From The Territories" According to the official synopsis of the show, provided by the creators says that "Tales From The Territories" will be showing the era before Wrestling stepped up its game on a National Level. The series will focus on how unscrupulous bookers dominated the territories in the United States and Canada. Other than that, the show will also reveal secrets about rabid fans who had complete faith in their favorite and fearless wrestlers. https://youtu.be/INfYgaRQgUw The main aim of the show is to reveal the current trend in scripted shows, unlike the real fight scenes at the beginning of the wrestling mania. The show will also focus on the nuanced relationships that thrive in the world of Wrestling. This show is like a dream come true for fans who have been following the sport for a long time because they will witness some of the greatest moments and stories from the world of Wrestling. According to the creators of the show, there are many stories in the history of Wrestling that even the greatest fans have never heard of bet can't wait to learn about. Some great personalities in the Wrestling world, like Johnson, Hiram Garcia, Dany Garcia, Evan Husney, Gewirtz, Lee Hoffman, Guillermo Garcia, C. Whyte, and Chavo Guerrero Jr, are in the production team of the show 'Tales From The Territories.' Tales From The Territories is going to be the first television show to present the world with the hidden secrets of Wrestling and its Wild West era. Who Are The Part Of The Show Tales From The Territories The show Tales From The Territories will be describing the stories starring Jerry Lawler, Jeff Jarrett, Jerry Jarrett, Jimmy Hart, and some others in the cast. Other than that, The Brisco Brothers, Hulk Hogan, Mike Graham, Pat Patterson, Bob Roop, Hiro Matsuda, Barry Windham, and Kevin Sullivan will be part of Episode 4. The casting of the remaining part is still underway, and the auditions were also being held in Canada. Tales From The Territories Episode 2 Release Date: The Second Episode of the show Tales From The Territories is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at 10:00 pm in The USA on VICE TV. To avoid missing Tales From The Territories Episode 2, mark your calendar with the time and date listed below with your local area time: - For India, it will release at 7:30 am (October 11, 2022) - For Singapore, it will release at 10:00 am (October 11, 2022) - For Australia, it will release at 1:00 pm (October 11, 2022) - For the Philippines, it will release at 10:00 am (October 11, 2022) - For Japanese, it will release at 11:00 am. (October 11, 2022) - For Korea, it will release at 11:00 am. (October 11, 2022) Where To Watch Tales From The Territories Episode 2 Online? Streaming Guide You can watch the Second Episode of Tales From The Territories on the official site of VICE TV. In addition to that, you can also watch Tales From The Territories Episode 2 on DIRECTV. ALSO READ: WWE Extreme Rules 2022: Start Time, Live Stream & Matches Read the full article

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daniellesreadingnook · 5 years

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All the books in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series!!! So sad to see the series end but at the same time, I want to see what happens to our favorite forensic team!!

#stalking jack the ripper #hunting prince dracula #escaping from houdini #capturing the devil #sjtr #hpd #efh #ctd #kerri maniscalco #jimmy patterson #jimmy patterson presents #audrey rose wadsworth #thomas cresswell #cressworth

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richincolor · 2 years

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New Releases

The end of 2021 is upon us and another year of wonderful releases. There is still one more month of highly anticipated novels, so which one of these will you be adding to your TBR pile?

Week of Nov. 29

Girls of Fate and Fury (Girls of Paper and Fire #3) by Natasha Ngan Jimmy Patterson

“Don’t struggle, Lei-zhi. It’s time to take you back to the Hidden Palace. You’re going home.”

The final pages of Girls of Storm and Shadow brought a jaw-dropping conclusion that had the fates of Lei and Wren hanging in uncertainty. But one thing was certain – the Hidden Palace was the last place that Lei would ever consider home. The trauma and tragedy she suffered behind those opulent walls would plague her forever. She could not be trapped there with the sadistic king again, especially without Wren.

The last Lei saw of the girl she loved, Wren was fighting an army of soldiers in a furious battle to the death. With the two girls torn apart and each in terrorizing peril, will they find each other again or have their destinies diverged forever?

Girls of Fate and Fury is the epic conclusion to the “glittering” and “adrenaline-soaked” series by Natasha Ngan, hailed as “a stunning, new talent” for her “beautiful, lush, lyrical” writing.

Week of Dec. 6

The Righteous (The Beautiful #3) by Renée Ahdieh Hodder & Stoughton

Pippa Montrose is tired of losing everything she loves. When her best friend Celine disappears under mysterious circumstances, Pippa resolves to find her, even if the journey takes her into the dangerous world of the fae, where she might find more than she bargained for in the charismatic Arjun Desai.

Renée is back with her rich, atmospheric fantasy world that will continue to enthrall readers, new romance and mystery, and lush, pacey writing.

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman Viking

Amanda Gorman’s remarkable new collection reveals an energizing and unforgettable voice in American poetry. Call Us What We Carry is Gorman at her finest. Including “The Hill We Climb,” the stirring poem read at the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden, and bursting with musical language and exploring themes of identity, grief, and memory, this lyric of hope and healing captures an important moment in our country’s consciousness while being utterly timeless.

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes Bloomsbury YA

All Luis Gonzalez wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his “progressive” school still doesn’t allow. Not after what happened with Chaz Wilson. But that was ages ago, when Luis’s parents were in high school; it would never happen today, right? He’s determined to find a way to give his LGBTQ friends the respect they deserve (while also not risking his chance to be prom king, just saying…).

When a hit on the head knocks him back in time to 1985 and he meets the doomed young Chaz himself, Luis concocts a new plan-he’s going to give this guy his first real kiss. Though it turns out a conservative school in the ’80s isn’t the safest place to be a gay kid. Especially with homophobes running the campus, including Gordo (aka Luis’s estranged father). Luis is in over his head, trying not to make things worse-and hoping he makes it back to present day at all.

In a story that’s fresh, intersectional, and wickedly funny, David Valdes introduces a big-mouthed, big-hearted queer character that readers won’t soon forget.

Fools In Love: Fresh Twists on Romantic Tales Edited by Ashley Herring Blake & Rebecca Podos Running Press Kids

Join fifteen bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming authors as they reimagine some of the most popular tropes in the romance genre.

Fake relationships. Enemies to lovers. Love triangles and best friends, mistaken identities and missed connections. This collection of genre-bending and original stories celebrates how love always finds a way, featuring powerful flora, a superhero and his nemesis, a fantastical sled race through snow-capped mountains, a golf tournament, the wrong ride-share, and even the end of the world. With stories written by Rebecca Barrow, Ashley Herring Blake, Gloria Chao, Mason Deaver, Sara Farizan, Claire Kann, Malinda Lo, Hannah Moskowitz, Natasha Ngan, Rebecca Podos, Lilliam Rivera, Laura Silverman, Amy Spalding, Rebecca Kim Wells, and Julian Winters this collection is sure to sweep you off your feet.

Week of Dec. 27

Here’s to Us (What If It’s Us #2) by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera Quill Tree Books

Ben has spent his first year of college working on his fantasy manuscript with his writing partner Mario, who is a great Spanish tutor, and an even better kisser. So why can’t he stop thinking about the fact that Arthur’s back in town two years after they called it quits?

Arthur is in New York for a dream internship on Broadway, with a boyfriend back at home that he couldn’t be happier with. But when he comes upon Ben cuddled up with a mystery boy, he starts to wonder if his feelings for Ben ever truly went away.

Even as the boys try to focus on their futures, they can’t seem to help running into each other in the present. Is the universe forcing them to question if they’re actually meant to be?

Possibly not. After all, things didn’t work the first time around. Possibly yes. After all, the sparks are still flying. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and raise a glass.

Here’s to celebrating old friends! Here’s to embracing new beginnings! Here’s to believing in second chances!

#new releases #weneeddiversebooks

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jazzviewswithcj · 3 years

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A Deeper look at Pat Metheny: Side Eye NYC (Modern Recordings/Metheny Group Productions, 2021)

Pat Metheny: Guitars, Guitar bass, Orchestrionics; James Francies: Piano, Synths, Organ; Marcus Gilmore: Drums. Japanese version includes booklet notes by Yo Nakagawa. This review is of the Japanese CD version released in late September

Side Eye NYC (V1.IV) is the second release of 2021 for 20 time Grammy winning guitarist and composer Pat Metheny following the stellar first official entry into the classical arena with Road To The Sun (due for a deluxe score, LP and 2 CD box set version with a spectacular lenticular display later this year) with keyboardist James Francies and drummer Marcus Gilmore. The recording captures an effervescent and charged Metheny, Francies and Gilmore in the guitarist’s first true live album since Tokyo Day Trip EP (Nonesuch/Metheny Group Productions, 2008) What Side Eye really is besides being a format for Metheny’s desire to play with a cadre of younger musicians who grew up on his music, and who have caught his eye as a major talent; is sort of a 21st century version of the classic organ trio format. The tradition of the organ trio both directly and indirectly is filtered through Metheny’s singular, unmistakable lens. It is worth mentioning that this review pertains to the Japanese edition of the CD which contains an exclusive bonus track “The Bat”, while the American edition is to follow on October 22, 2021 in LP and CD formats. It is currently available for streaming sans bonus track at Apple Music, Amazon HD, and Spotify. To aid readers of this review who may be new to Metheny or Black American Music and other improvised forms , below is a brief summary of the organ trio and how it fits into the present release.

The organ trio was a fixture in the early fifties in the Black community with the likes of legendary organists such as Milt Buckner, Bill Doggett and “Wild” Bill Davis. However, it wasn’t until 1956 when a 28 year old ex pianist from Norristown, PA, by the name of Jimmy Smith (1925-2005) collided onto the scene with a version of Dizzy Gillespie’s “The Champ” on his second recording A New Sound, A New Star, Jimmy Smith At The Organ, Volume 2 (Blue Note) that the notion of organ, and the role of the electric organ in popular music was changed forever. For Black music, Fats Waller and Count Basie had been early progenitors of both the pipe and Hammond organ but it was nothing like Smith.

Smith had been inspired to play the organ when he saw his idol, “Wild” Bill Davis in the early 1950’s. He had played some organ on the records in the R&B group of Don Gardner and the Sonotones around 1953-4, but it was Smith’s legendary three months of wood shedding in a Philadelphia warehouse that solidified his position as the Charlie Parker of the organ. Organists like Doggett, Buckner, Davis, and the novelty pop of Ethel Smith had favored an orchestral big band type approach to the Hammond organ, but Smith’s conception on the newly minted Hammond B-3 had made significant steps forward with drawbar registrations that he created that mimicked the sound of a bebop horn player. By employing the first 3 drawbars combined with the new percussion circuit that provided an almost vibraphone like bite to the attack of the note, he utilized the vocabulary of Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie. Smith combined this with gospel influence and the soul of Horace Silver that had not been heard prior, while also respecting the traditions of both Buckner and Bill Davis, particularly on ballads. His popularity created a cottage industry with strings of organists in his wake including Jack McDuff, Don Patterson, Johnny Hammond Smith, John Patton, Shirley Scott, Rhoda Scott, Gloria Coleman, the recently departed maestro Dr. Lonnie Smith, Larry Young, Jimmy McGriff, Charles Kynard, Charles Earland, Eddie Bacchus, Akiko Tsuruga and most famously in the modern era, Joey DeFrancesco. While all of these organists had individual, unique voices on the instrument, it was not until the 1964 debut album on Blue Note by Larry Young, Into Somethin’ that the paradigm shifted further. By Unity in 1965, Young’s innovations as the next Hammond innovator were set. Though he initially was a strong Jimmy Smith disciple on his recordings for the Prestige subsidiary New Jazz (even utilizing former Smith guitarist Thornel Schwartz) the 1965 Blue Note date with trumpeter Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson’s tenor and Elvin Jones, Young employed quartal harmony a la McCoy Tyner and unusual structures. Metheny’s new album borrows from this rich organ tradition, but with several additions along the way, the guitarist has truly made the format his own.

Returning to Side Eye, the band is now in it’s fifth iteration, with drummer Joe Dyson replacing Gilmore, but the constants have been the guitarist and Francies. The recording is the fourth iteration of the group taken from the final two nights of the band’s engagement at Sony Hall in September, 2019 at the end of a grueling world tour. As this writer was at the final night of the engagement with the venue being flanked by NHK cameras for Japanese TV broadcast, Metheny, Francies and Gilmore were very inspired and smoking on all cylinders. Not since Travels (ECM, 1983) has a Metheny live album captured such excitement as Side Eye NYC does here. The album contains five reinventions of classic Metheny repertoire, with the album centerpiece being three brand new compositions. The Japanese edition of the album contains the exclusive bonus track “The Bat”. Despite the trio’s unconventional nature, with Francies plethora of keyboards in addition the return of a scaled down version of the Orchestrion, greatly broadening the sonic palette, the group is as stated before a sort of spin on the organ trio, and it’d be best served given the previous paragraph to examine that aspect of the album first.

James Francies demonstrates a startling fluency for playing his own basslines, like that of Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff or John Patton, but his ability to inject counterpoint into the mix of grounding the earth is nonpareil, as his solo on “Bright Size Life” shows. His time in the spotlight is punctuated by a stunning left hand counterpoint to complement parallel lines in his right. The standard is given new life from his bass line, a fretless bass patch almost indecipherable from a real bassist; but like the traditional organ trio Metheny is lifted from the agility this bass line possesses, in addition to the buoyancy from Gilmore’s cymbals and comping. As the group tackles the third tune on the disc “Timeline”, originally written for Elvin Jones’ groove and featured on Michael Brecker’s Time Is Of The Essence (Verve, 1999) the rarely played tune is most clearly aligned to the classic organ trio format. Metheny swings with gargantuan force on the time tested 12 bar blues form (it’s bridge during the head and coda turning modal) digging in heavily to Gilmore’s beat and Francies’ Jack McDuff like bass line. In a role reversal in his last chorus, Metheny returns to his roots backing organists in Kansas City and BECOMES the organist by “shouting” or playing a drone pattern. The technique was developed in the Black church, and it involves the organist holding the tonic (the note of the key the song is in) and playing around it. It is on this tune, as well as the sensuous neo soul drenched spin on “Better Days Ahead” from the PMG’s Letter From Home (Nonesuch/Metheny Group Productions, 1989-- original release on Geffen that year) that the parallels to Francies’ Jimmy Smith to Metheny’s Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green appears here. What is meant by that is Francies’ intense, ahead of the beat approach offsets Pat’s relaxed behind the beat phrasing. On “Timeline” Francies’ application of the first three drawbars with no percussion is immediately redolent of Jimmy Smith’s use of the same on the timeless 20 minute opus The Sermon (Blue Note, 1958) but he gradually brightens the tone by pulling some of the upper drawbars which speak of his own roots in the church.

The comparison to the original Metheny rendition of Ornette Coleman’s “Turnaround” on 80/81 (ECM, 1980) instructive, as the other track most referencing the organ trio though Francies’ sticks to the acoustic piano on this piece. For starters Metheny’s own playing is much more self assured than on the album from 41 years prior which the guitarist admitted to not playing the melody all that well. Also Marcus Gilmore’s (grandson of the legendary Roy Haynes) more relaxed deep pocket swing has a much different effect as opposed to Jack DeJohnette’s kinetic highly interactive drumming on 80/81. Though appearing as the seventh track on the album, this was the first tune of the night, and everyone gets limbered up. As on “Timeline”, the guitarist really leans into Gilmore’s backing as Metheny “strolls” with him in duo for six choruses at which Francies joins in playing left hand bass on piano. Following Metheny’s loose eight choruses, Francies solos for six, swap roles as Metheny’s Ibanez becomes semi acoustic and he provides the bassline accompaniment along with four to the bar comping like Freddie Green of the Count Basie Orchestra, a facet of Metheny’s playing only previously unveiled on “The Moon Song” from Beyond The Missouri Sky (Verve, 1997) with Charlie Haden. Metheny trades with Gilmore for a few choruses before the tune is taken out. A gorgeous “Sirabhorn” is sandwiched between “Lodger”, a brand new composition and “Turnaround”.

The three new compositions on the album really show what makes Side Eye as a unit special, and the live energy only adds to that. “It Starts When We Dissapear”, the first track to open the album announces itself with a dramatic chord progression from synths blended with the Orchestrion bottle organ, some synths from Francies and churning shaken percussion from the Orchestrion. Metheny and Francies state a main theme in unison, the guitar doubled by Francies Moog like bass. The overall vibe is an extension almost of the title track of Kin (<-->) (Nonesuch/Metheny Group Productions, 2014) with it’s electronics and the trio takes the listener on an extended nearly fourteen minute journey, invoking at first some sort of techno ized cityscape. Francies’ liquid piano solo is full of ideas, and he is inspired by the double time tempo and Latin esque bass line. Metheny digs in on a bembe groove to the delight of the audience’s whoops and hollers, variety added to the tonal palette courtesy of Orchestrionic marimba. From here the group moves through a variety of written sections in the extended structure, returning to the moody head, Gilmore’s kaleidoscopic cymbal play a defining feature as it was at the start.

“Lodger” by far is one of the most memorable and intriguing compositions. Written as a dedication to guitarist Adam Rogers, Metheny exclusively sticks to distorted electric guitar, and though the piece in the melody has shades of “Travels” and more than a hint of Jimi Hendrix, it captures a hard rocking aspect of the guitarist’s playing that is relatively new. Gilmore lays down a hard, pounding rock beat, and Francies’ slow harmonic rhythm with elongated organ chords make effective use of the Leslie speaker “brake” feature on a Hammond. Metheny builds a long solo building to massive dynamic intensity, before a return to a slow simmer.

“Zenith Blue” is another breathtaking epic. A rubato late Coltrane incantation announces Metheny’s signature Roland GR300 guitar synthesizer, where a simple melodic kernel becomes euphoric. The Orchestrionic bottle organ becomes part of the melody, and if there is a nod to the late Lyle Mays in the texture, timbre and arrangement, this track is it. Metheny’s melody is long and intricate, a variety of colors being used, Orchestrionic 16th note percussion, glockenspiel, Gilmore’s drum and bass rhythm. Metheny elegantly floats over the changes on guitar synth, building on the GR300 in the way only he can, beautiful harmonies from synths and Orchestrionic bottle organ emerge, his solo almost ending in an abrupt thrash, before a variation of the theme is introduced as an interlude. Francies takes over with a Rhodes esque solo at a relaxed waltz tempo, Gilmore’s inner Elvin Jones coming to the fore. The Mays like “Prophet sound” timbre from the bottles returns to state part of the melody as Francies’ continues to solo, adding some additional layers of harmony. A driving section follows Francies’ solo with arpeggiated synths, the drum and bass rhythm, and the shakers in a Steve Reichian trance, and the tune reaches a thrilling conclusion. “The Bat” is a wonderful ballad closer, Francies’ bass line is so subtle that one easily forgets there is NO bassist, and his comping behind a reflective Metheny meditation is capped by Gilmore’s autumnal brush work and dark smoky cymbals that is icing on the cake after an hour plus of excellent music. The Japanese inclusion of “The Bat” increases the CD run time to 69:05 and makes it a much more complete, satisfying album experience than the streaming, the UK and American CD versions that close with “Zenith Blue”.

Sound:

Recorded, mixed and mastered by longtime engineering partner Pete Karam, with the live house sound courtesy of Austin Stillwell, Side Eye NYC is without question the finest sounding Metheny album in a very long time. Two versions of the album were analyzed for review, the high res streaming version available through all major streaming services and the Japanese CD. The streaming version utilized both the Marantz MM7025 dual AKM DACS and the Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC. While the Bifrost 2 seemingly adds a more distinct layer of separation, the Focal Chora 826 speakers do a wonderful job at displaying the wide dynamics the ensemble creates. If anything, streaming vs. CD, the bass is a bit tighter and more present in the high res version, but the CD sounds very very nice. One neat aspect of the VERY wide sound stage is Metheny’s distorted guitar on “Lodger”, while it appears center of the sound stage on most other tracks, is slightly LEFT of center coming outside the speaker, and the Roland GR300, on “Zenith Blue”, as Metheny has the synth full blast, it is placed in the center, and when he turns it off and uses the G303 (the guitar controller for the GR300) as a regular guitar, it also appears to the left of center coming outside the speaker, very cool use of spatial depth. Francies’ analog synths have textural variety and depth, the piano appearing across the sound stage on “It Starts When We Dissapear” and “Turnaround”, while for tracks like “The Bat” remain in the far left channel. Gilmore’s drums have thunder and punch, and his K Zildjian cymbals ring with gorgeous sizzle and wash.

Concluding Thoughts:

Side Eye NYC showcases a stimulating new configuration for Pat Metheny. Francies and Gilmore push him to inspired heights, and in turn they also deliver some great moments. The album could serve as a Pat Metheny primer for the uninitiated and it ranks as far as his live albums go the finest since Trio-->Live (Warner Brothers/Metheny Group Productions, 2000) in it’s unbridled enthusiasm. The Japanese CD is a more satisfying, complete album experience because of the inclusion of “The Bat”, but the potential of this new trio is definitely high. Metheny plans on going into the studio with Side Eye at some point and it is anyone’s guess where it will evolve to. Francies is the finest keyboard collaborator since Lyle Mays and the duo and quartets with Brad Mehldau, and their chemistry can lead to some very interesting places.

Music: 9.5/10

Sound: 9/10

Equipment used for review

HP Pavilion x360 laptop (for high res playback)

Audiolab CDT6000 transport (for CD playback)

Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC

Focal Chora 826 speakers

Pre amp: Marantz NR1200 stereo receiver

Marantz MM7025 power amplifier

Audioquest Golden Gate and Forest cables

Furman power conditioner

youtube

#pat metheny #james francies black american music #jazz #marcus gilmore #organ trio

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bookiemonsterph · 3 years

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Stalking Jack The Ripper

Synopsis:

Presented by James Patterson’s new children’s imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion…

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story’s shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

Title: Stalking Jack The Ripper Series: Stalking Jack The Ripper Author: Kerri Maniscalco ISBN: 0316273511 (ISBN13: 9780316273510) Pages: 318 pages (Paperback) Published: September 5th 2017 by Jimmy Patterson (first published September 20th 2016) Characters: Audrey Rosewadsworth, Thomas Cresswell Setting: London England, 1888 Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Stalking Jack the Ripper is a lusciously dark mystery thriller set in nineteenth-century London inspired by the gruesome murders of the infamous Jack the Ripper. From page one I was fighting for breath, praying not to throw up by these events, and yet, drinking the words in as if there was no tomorrow. The writing entranced me, the characters became my allies and suspects, and the forensic studies … they sure kept me up at night.

I don’t often read horror or thrillers since my stomach goes weak whenever there is blood and gore involved, but I’m sure glad I gave this book a chance because AMAZING doesn’t even begin to cover it. Like the characters, I learned to push my feelings over blood aside and grow cold and calculated trying to solve the cases of Jack the Ripper. I was going back and forth over my suspect list, ever- growing as each chapter moved on. I started to strongly suspect a certain character by 50% into the story, yet the author does a great job at keeping you second-guessing until the very end. I really liked that.

The main character, Audrey Rose Wadsworth, is a force to be reckoned with. Her personality is admirable and her ideas plus her determination to study the field she loves is pretty kick-ass. Despite living in a society that questions the value of women in fields outside hosting tea parties and being wives, she pushes on by pursuing a career in forensic studies under her uncle’s supervision while not renouncing her “girly” manners. She’s an early version of modern women and does a great job. I loved her!

As a thriller, I believed Stalking Jack the Ripper would only be a dark, bloody read, but as it turns out, it was also full of dark humor. It kept the heaviness from being too much, and I often found myself laughing quite loud at night. The twisted humor often came from the dashing Thomas Cresswell who is also interested in forensic studies. He is like a young adult version of Sherlock Holmes, including a sharp mind and attention to detail. He made me swoon like no other character and also pray for him to not be the ripper. I’m sure many readers will come to fancy him like me!

To put it simply, Stalking Jack the Reader is bloody brilliant (pun intended). I fear my words won’t ever do justice to this fascinating take on one of the world’s most known serial killers, but I must insist on readers to pick it up once it comes out. This debut novel by Kerri Maniscalco will set new standards for YA Thrillers, trust me. It’s dark and horrifying, historically accurate (with twists from the author), and offers the intriguing experience through the eyes of a young girl who defies the norms of 1888 London.

#stalking jack the ripper #kerri maniscalco

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brokenhabitsmag · 4 years

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RIP GEORGE FLOYD

In the past few days, there’s been a video of George Floyd being murdered in cold blood virally circulating the internet and social media. I couldn’t tell you what possessed me to write about this particular case but something in my brain clicked this morning when I opened my eyes; I’m alive and I will never have the fear of being brutalised by police for the colour of my skin.

The first thing I want to bring to light is the fact that caucasian police officers MURDERED someone in broad daylight in cold blood, simply because he has more melanin in his DNA. Police are meant to be a symbol of safety and help and kindness and the fact that, throughout history and in present day, policemen/women/officers have been abusing their power to make minorities feel inferior to them is disgusting. If you’ve seen the video, you can hear George repeatedly saying “I cant breathe” “Please don’t kill me” “I’m going to die”, the policeman proceeded to put pressure on his neck for 7 minutes. During these 7 minutes, civilians were trying to help George but were told if they get too close they will be detained or maced.

“Bad people can wear uniform”. That’s something my friend said to me today whilst we were taking about it and I don’t think anything has ever made so much sense to me. The system is corrupt and that’s the reality the governments want to cover up. They give murderers the power to murder with no consequence. These people do not wake up one day with the thought of “I want to kill someone today” and do it, it’s something they’ve been thinking on for a while. The (now fired) criminal involved in the murder of George Floyd is called Derek M. Chauvin. Derek M Chauvin was a Minneapolis Police Officer. The technique Chauvin used to detain George Floyd was NOT demonstrated as a part of the departments training. Derek Chauvin was put on leave in 2011 for an inappropriate police shooting of Alaskan Native American, Leroy Martinez. Chauvin was one of the officers involved in the brutal murder of Wayne Reyez, Reyez was a latino man who had 16 bullets forced into him with 42 rounds being fired at him. Chauvin has currently got 12 Police Brutality complaints against him in the Minneapolis Office of Police Conduct complaint database. They are all listed as “closed”, “non-public” and “no discipline”. Derek M Chauvin is being represented by Tom Kelly, the same attorney who got Jeronimo Yavez aquitted (Yavez murdered Phaillandro Castile). Derek M Chauvin. Know his name. Let people know what he’s done. Spread awareness.

Racism is taught. That is something I strongly believe in. When we are born, we don’t see colour and I mean that literally. Nobody wakes up thinking “today I’m going to be racist.”, 99.9% of the time, villains in movies or a tv show is a person of colour and young children grow up watching these thinking that this is the norm. Kids then go to school and when they play cops and robbers or whatever it is, the kid with colour in his or her skin will be coined the villain simply because this is what they are conditioned to think. The fact that fear is instilled in people of colour from such a young age is so sad, it’s something i’ve witnessed first hand. In school we are taught to love everyone no matter what but racism does not start and finish with school and the education system, it’s continued in the household, teachers can only do so much. The responsibility of educating children out of school hours then falls into the hands of parents. If you are a parent or guardian or have siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, uncles, aunts, friends siblings etc, please make sure to educate them to be anti-racist, it must stop and the only way it’ll happen is if we start doing what the older generations have done before us and teach those younger than us the right way. Racism is something so normalised that when we speak up for those who have been a victim of it, we get attacked and shunned upon. RACISM IS THE PROBLEM, NOT P.O.C!!!!!!!

There are people out there now protesting that ‘all lives matter’ and as much as that it is true, people do not see that the reason the Black Lives Matter movement has been created is simply because Black Lives Matter. White people, whether you are ethnic or not - as long as you have white skin and can westernise yourself and hide your heritage, are not in danger as much as people of colour. This is not me saying that if you’re from ethnic origin, you are not in danger, I’m saying that if your skin isn’t black then you are not waking up everyday in a modern world in fear of your life. Let me make it simpler to understand for those who will talk their shit; if you have 2 kids in front of you and one starts crying are you going to comfort the child in distress or the child who is completely fine? Obviously the child in distress, now apply this logic to the current racism problem we have. Black Lives Matter was created by the oppressed for the oppressed and those who support the struggle of the oppressed. It is not about all lives mattering, not everything is about the privileged so please, if you’ve never been a target of racial profiling, shut the fuck up and let those whom have make their voices be heard loud and clear. People who sit there and say ‘all lives matter’ and don’t support the BLM movement, you listen to their music, you appropriate their culture, you eat their food, you talk like them, you watch their movies but you don’t want to join them in their suffering? You bleed the same blood, you breathe the same air, but if you have white skin, you are more likely to be heard, so please USE YOUR VOICE TO LET THIS BE KNOWN; WE WILL NOT STAND DOWN UNTIL EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN RACIALLY PROFILED, FACED POLICE BRUTALITY AND MURDERED FOR THE COLOUR OF THEIR SKIN IS AVENGED. THEY CANT STOP ALL 7 BILLION OF US!!!

THE UK IS NOT INNOCENT EITHER!!!! GET THIS RIGHT, RACISM IS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!

REMEMBER THIER NAMES, FIGHT FOR THEM (UK);

MARK DUGGAN JIMMY MUBENGA JOY GARDENER

SARAH REED MICHEAL POWELL SEAN RIGG

SHEKU BEYOH LEON BRIGGS LEON PATTERSON

CHRISTOPHER ADLER RICKY BISHOP CYNTHIA JARRETT

SMILEY CULTURE BRIAN DOUGLAS CHERRY GROCE

DEREK BENNETT KINGSLEY BURRELL JOY GARDENER

RODGER SYLVESTER AZELLE RODNEY HABIB ULLAH

FARUK ALI ADRIAN THOMPSON JEAN CHARLES DE MENEZES

DEMETRE FRAZER ASTON MCLEAN SENI LEWIS

ANTHONY GRANGER ROCKY BENNETT ALTON MANNING

MARK NUNES BELLY MUJINGA SHUKRI ABDI

CHRISTOPHER KAPESSA

#blacklivesalwaysmatter #blacklivesmatter #antiracism #blm movement #supportblm #blm

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kwebtv · 24 days

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From the Golden Age of Television

Sego Lilies - Syndicated - April 28, 1953

A presentation of "Death Valley Days" Season 1 Episode 16

Western

Running Time: 30 minutes

Hosted by Stanley Andrews as The Old Ranger

Stars:

Robert Hutton as David Cannon

Sally Mansfield as Wihelmina Cannon

Ella Ethridge as Sister Sarah Whipple

John Dierkes as Erastus

Hank Patterson as Nephi

John Halloran as Mormon reporting accident

Charles Hayes as Mormon reporting accident

Art Dillard as Settler

Rudy Germane as Settler

Ray Jones as Settler

Jimmy Noel as Settler

George Sowards as Settler

#Sego Lilies #TV #Death Valley Days #Western #1950's #1953 #Syndicated #The Old Ranger #Robert Hutton #Sally Mansfield #Ella Ethridge

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blackkudos · 4 years

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Jimmy Cliff

James Chambers, OM (born 1 April 1948), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska and reggae musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. Along with Bunny Wailer he is one of only two living musicians to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.

Cliff is best known among mainstream audiences for songs such as "Wonderful World, Beautiful People", "Many Rivers to Cross", "You Can Get It If You Really Want", "The Harder They Come", "Reggae Night", and "Hakuna Matata", and his covers of Cat Stevens's "Wild World" and Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" from the film Cool Runnings. He starred in the film The Harder They Come, which helped popularize reggae across the world, and Club Paradise. Cliff was one of five performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

Early life and education

Jimmy Cliff was born in Somerton District, Saint James, Jamaica. He began writing songs while still at primary school in St. James, listening to a neighbour's sound system. In 1962 his father took him to Kingston to go to Kingston Technical school, where he ended up sharing his cousin's one rented room in East Kingston.

Career

1960s and 1970s

Cliff sought out many producers while still going to school, trying to get his songs recorded without success. He also entered talent contests. "One night I was walking past a record store and restaurant as they were closing, pushed myself in and convinced one of them, Leslie Kong, to go into the recording business, starting with me," he writes in his own website biography. After two singles that failed to make much impression, his career took off when "Hurricane Hattie" became a hit, while he was aged 14. It was produced by Kong, with whom Cliff remained until Kong's death from a heart attack in 1971.

Cliff's later local hit singles included "King of Kings", "Dearest Beverley", "Miss Jamaica", and "Pride and Passion". In 1964, Cliff was chosen as one of Jamaica's representatives at the World's Fair in New York; and in the same year Cliff was featured in a program called "This is Ska!" alongside Prince Buster, Toots and the Maytals, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. He soon signed to Island Records and moved to the United Kingdom. Island Records initially (and unsuccessfully) tried to sell Cliff to the rock audience, but his career took off in the late 1960s. His international debut album was Hard Road to Travel, released in 1967. It received excellent reviews and included "Waterfall" (composed by Nirvana's Alex Spyropoulos and Patrick Campbell-Lyons), which became a hit in Brazil and won the International Song Festival.

"Waterfall" was followed in 1969 by "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" and "Vietnam" in 1970, both popular throughout most of the world. Bob Dylan called "Vietnam" the best protest song he had ever heard. Also during this period, Cliff released a cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" as a single, but it was not included on his Wonderful World, Beautiful People album.

In 1972, Cliff starred as Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin in the classic reggae film, The Harder They Come, directed by Perry Henzell. As the film tells Martin's story, he is a young man without funds. Arriving in Kingston from the country, he tries to make it in the recording business, but without success. Eventually, he turns to a life of crime. The soundtrack album of the film was a huge success that sold well across the world, bringing reggae to an international audience for the first time. It remains one of the most internationally significant films to have come out of Jamaica since independence. The film made its debut at London's Gaumont cinema in Notting Hill on 1 September 1972. In 1975, Cliff sang on the first season of Saturday Night Live, episode 12, hosted by Dick Cavett. After a series of albums, Cliff took a break and traveled to Africa (the Nigeria-based Jamaican writer Lindsay Barrett was instrumental in Cliff's first trip there), and subsequently converted to Islam, taking the new name: El Hadj Naïm Bachir.

1980s and 1990s

Cliff quickly returned to music, touring for several years before he recorded with Kool & the Gang. In 1984, Cliff appeared at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands. During The River Tour, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band added Cliff's previously little-known song "Trapped" to their live set; it achieved great prominence when included on 1985's We Are the World benefit album. The follow-up, Cliff Hanger (1985), won a Grammy Award for 'Best Reggae Album', though it was his last major success in the United States until 1993. Also in 1985, Cliff contributed to the song "Sun City", a protest song written and composed by Steven Van Zandt and recorded by Artists United Against Apartheid to convey opposition to the South African policy of apartheid. Cliff then provided backing vocals on The Rolling Stones' 1986 album Dirty Work, and appeared in the comedy Club Paradise, co-starring with Robin Williams and Peter O'Toole, and contributed several songs to the soundtrack, including "Seven Day Weekend", which he sang with Elvis Costello. In 1988, his song "Shelter of Your Love" was featured in the hit film Cocktail.

Cliff appeared in the film Marked for Death in 1990, performing "John Crow" with the Jimmy Cliff Band. His recording of "You Can Get It If You Really Want" was used as a campaign anthem by the Sandinista National Liberation Front in the 1990 election in Nicaragua. In 1991, he performed at the second Rock in Rio festival in Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He continued to sell well in Jamaica and, to a lesser extent, the UK, returning to the mainstream pop charts in the U.S. and elsewhere (#1 in France) with a version of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" on the Cool Runnings film soundtrack in 1993. In 1995, Cliff released the single "Hakuna Matata", a collaboration with Lebo M, a song from the soundtrack of the film The Lion King. In 1997, Cliff was a guest star in a 1997 episode of the Cartoon Network talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast.

2000 to present

In 2001, Cliff became an inaugural member of the Independent Music Awards' judging panel to support independent artists. In 2002, Cliff released the album Fantastic Plastic People in Europe, after first providing free downloads using p2p software. This album featured collaborations with Joe Strummer, Annie Lennox, and Sting as well as new songs that were very reminiscent of Cliff's original hits. In 2004, Cliff completely reworked the songs, dropping the traditional reggae in favour of an electronic sound, for inclusion in Black Magic. The album also included a recording of "Over the Border" with Joe Strummer. Cliff performed at the closing ceremony to the 2002 Commonwealth Games and in 2003, his song "You Can Get It If You Really Want" was included in the soundtrack to the film, Something's Gotta Give. He also appeared in July 2003 at the Paléo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland. The Jamaican government under P. J. Patterson honoured Cliff on 20 October 2003, by awarding him The Order of Merit, the nation's fourth-highest honour, in recognition of his contributions to the film and music of Jamaica. Cliff, Bunny Wailer and Mervyn Morris are the only currently living figures from the arts to hold this distinction and he is one of only two living musician (along with Bunny Wailer) to do so.

In 2007, Cliff performed at the opening ceremony at cricket's World Cup. In the spring and summer of 2010, Cliff embarked on an extensive tour of the U.S. and Canada. In 2007, "You Can Get It If You Really Want" was adopted by the British Conservative Party during their annual conference. Cliff was quoted in The Independent as saying "One of my band mates called me this morning to tell me the news. I can't stop them using the song, but I'm not a supporter of politics. I have heard of Cameron, but I'm not a supporter. I don't support any politician. I just believe in right or wrong."

In September 2009, he was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, following a campaign on his behalf by the American Charles Earle. Cliff reacted to the news by saying, "This is good for Cliff, good for Jamaican music and good for my country." On 15 December 2009, he was officially announced as an inductee and was inducted on 15 March 2010 by Wyclef Jean.

Cliff appeared in the 2011 documentary Reggae Got Soul: The Story of Toots and the Maytals which was featured on BBC and described as "The untold story of one of the most influential artists ever to come out of Jamaica".

In 2011, Cliff worked with producer Tim Armstrong, lead singer of American punk band Rancid, on the EP The Sacred Fire and the full-length album Rebirth. Rebirth was nominated for a Grammy Award for 'Best Reggae Album'. The album was listed at #12 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 50 albums of 2012, saying "There's ska, rock steady, roots reggae, a revelatory cover of The Clash's "Guns of Brixton" delivered in Cliff's trademark soulful tenor, grittier but still lovely more than 40 years after his debut." In December 2012, Cliff was named 'Artist of the Year' by digital newspaper the Caribbean Journal, citing his work on Rebirth.

On 25 June 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Jimmy Cliff among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Personal life

Cliff is not a member of the Rastafari movement, although he briefly was before converting to Islam from Christianity. He now describes himself as having a "universal outlook on life", and does not align himself with any particular movement or religion, saying that "now I believe in science". He is married and has a daughter Lilty Cliff and a son Aken Cliff. He is also the father of the actress/singer Nabiyah Be.

#04/01

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gaymer-hag-stan · 4 years

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Best PlayStation Games

We’re not going anywhere for some time so we may as well find a good way to spend time!

Whether you’re a regular gamer, casual or have no experince in gaming in general, here are some awesome games you may check out! I tried to limit the list to just twenty games.There are of course many more awesome games out there, including some personal favourites of mine, but I tried to make the list as objective and as representatitve as possible.

20. Kingdom Hearts (2002) - PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4

Kingdom Hearts is a 2002 action role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first game in the Kingdom Hearts series and is the result of a collaboration between Square and The Walt Disney Company. An expanded re-release of the game featuring new and additional content, Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, was released exclusively in Japan in December 2002. The Final Mix version of the game was later remastered in high definition and released globally as a part of the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix collection for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The game combines characters and settings from Disney animated features with those from Square's Final Fantasy series, in addition to original characters and worlds created for the game. It follows the adventures of Sora, a cheerful teenager who fights against the forces of darkness alongside Donald Duck, Goofy and other Disney characters. The game was a departure from Square's standard role-playing games, introducing a substantial action and hack and slash element to the gameplay. Kingdom Hearts has an all-star voice cast and includes many of the Disney characters's official voice actors. It was longtime Square character designer Tetsuya Nomura's first time in a directorial position.

Kingdom Hearts was praised for its unusual combination of action and role-playing, its unexpectedly harmonious mix of Square and Disney elements, and Shimomura's music. It was a large presence in the 2002 holiday season, receiving numerous year-end game awards, and went on to achieve Sony "Greatest Hits" status. The game prompted numerous sequels, and the Kingdom Hearts series has gone on to ship over 30 million copies worldwide. Kingdom Hearts is the tenth best-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time, and is considered by some gaming publications to be one of the greatest video games of all time.

19. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) - PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011.

The game's main story revolves around the player's character, the Dragonborn, on their quest to defeat Alduin the World-Eater, a dragon who is prophesied to destroy the world. The game is set 200 years after the events of Oblivion and takes place in Skyrim, the northernmost province of Tamriel. Over the course of the game, the player completes quests and develops the character by improving skills. The game continues the open-world tradition of its predecessors by allowing the player to travel anywhere in the game world at any time, and to ignore or postpone the main storyline indefinitely.

Skyrim was developed using the Creation Engine, rebuilt specifically for the game. The team opted for a unique and more diverse open world than Oblivion's Imperial Province of Cyrodiil, which game director and executive producer Todd Howard considered less interesting by comparison. The game was released to critical acclaim, with reviewers particularly mentioning the character advancement and setting, and is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Nonetheless it received some criticism, predominantly for its melee combat and numerous technical issues present at launch. The game shipped over seven million copies to retailers within the first week of its release, and over 30 million copies on all platforms as of November 2016, making it one of the best selling video games in history.

Three downloadable content (DLC) add-ons were released—Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn—which were repackaged into The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Legendary Edition and released in June 2013. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition is a remastered version of the game released for Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 in October 2016. It includes all three DLC expansions and a graphical upgrade, along with additional features such as modding capabilities on consoles. Versions were released in November 2017 for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation VR, and a stand-alone virtual reality (VR) version for Windows was released in April 2018. These versions were based on the remastered release, but the Switch version's graphics upgrade was relative to its hardware capabilities, and it did not include the modding features.

18. Assassin’s Creed III (2012) - PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4

Assassin's Creed III is a 2012 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Microsoft Windows. It is the fifth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, and a direct sequel to 2011's Assassin's Creed: Revelations. The game was released worldwide for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, beginning in North America on October 30, 2012, with a Wii U and Microsoft Windows release in November 2012.

The plot is set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the centuries-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace with free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and features series protagonist Desmond Miles who, with the aid of a machine known as the Animus, relives the memories of his ancestors to find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. The story is set in the 18th century, before, during and after the American Revolution from 1754 to 1783, and follows Desmond's half-English, half-Mohawk ancestor, Ratonhnhaké:ton, also known as Connor, as he fights the Templars' attempts to gain control in the colonies.

Assassin's Creed III is set in an open world and presented from the third-person perspective with a primary focus on using Desmond and Connor's combat and stealth abilities to eliminate targets and explore the environment. Connor is able to freely explore 18th-century Boston, New York City, and the American frontier to complete side missions away from the primary storyline. The game also features a multiplayer component, allowing players to compete online to complete solo and team-based objectives including assassinations and evading pursuers. Ubisoft developed a new game engine, Anvil Next, for the game.

The game received positive reviews from critics, who praised it for its gameplay, narrative, diverse cast of characters, visuals and grand, ambitious scale, while criticism was directed at the ending, unevenly developed gameplay mechanics and the glitches within the game. It was a commercial success, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide. Its sequel, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, was released in October 2013, and follows Ratonhnhaké:ton's grandfather – Edward Kenway – a pirate and Assassin operating in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy.

In September 2018, a remastered edition of Assassin's Creed III was announced. The remaster contains enhanced visuals, lighting, and resolution, improved character models, and several modified game mechanics, with all previously-released downloadable content also included. It was released on March 29, 2019 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, both as a downloadable add-on to Assassin's Creed Odyssey and a standalone game. A Nintendo Switch version was released on May 21, 2019.

17. Medal of Honor: Frontline (2002) - PlayStation 2

Medal of Honor: Frontline is a first-person shooter video game, in the Medal of Honor series, and was published by EA Games. The player character is Lt. Jimmy Patterson, from the American OSS. Frontline takes place during the events of the first game and chronicles Patterson's journey as he fights his way across Europe into Nazi Germany during World War II. Frontline was released in North America for the PlayStation 2 on May 29, 2002 and for the GameCube and Xbox consoles on November 7, 2002.

In 2010, an HD port of the game was included in the "Limited Edition" PlayStation 3 version of Medal of Honor.

16. Tekken 3 (1998) - PlayStation

Tekken 3 (Japanese: 鉄拳3) is a fighting game, the third installment in the Tekken series. It was released in arcades in March 1997, and for the PlayStation in 1998. The original arcade version of the game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 as part of Tekken 5's Arcade History mode. The game was re-released in 2018 as part of Sony's PlayStation Classic.

Tekken 3 features a largely new cast of characters, including the debut of several now-staple characters such as Jin Kazama, Ling Xiaoyu, Bryan Fury, Eddy Gordo and Hwoarang, with a total of twenty-three characters. The home version included a new beat'em up mode called Tekken Force, as well as the bonus Tekken Ball mode.

Tekken 3 has been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. With over 8 million copies sold worldwide, Tekken 3 is the fourth best-selling PlayStation game. It was followed by Tekken 4 in arcades and on the PlayStation 2 in 2001 and 2002, respectively.

15. Need for Speed: Underground (2003) - PlayStation 2

Need for Speed: Underground is the seventh installment in the Need for Speed series, and was developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts in 2003. Two different games were produced, one for consoles and Windows, and the other for the Game Boy Advance.

Underground rebooted the franchise, ignoring the previous Need for Speed games which featured sports cars and exotics. It was the first game in the series to offer a career mode featuring a storyline, and a garage mode that allowed players to fully customize their cars with a large variety of brand-name performance and visual upgrades. All races take place in a generic city at night called Olympic City, though the city bears some resemblance to New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Rather than exotic cars, Underground featured vehicles associated with the import scene. Underground was commercially successful, and was followed by Need for Speed: Underground 2 in 2004.

14. Battlefield 1 (2016) - PlayStation 4

Battlefield 1 is a first-person shooter video game developed by EA DICE and published by Electronic Arts. Battlefield 1 is the fifteenth installment in the Battlefield series, and the first main entry in the series since Battlefield 4. It was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 21, 2016.

Battlefield 1 received positive reviews by critics and was seen as an improvement over the series' previous installments, Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline. Most of the praise was directed towards its World War I theme, single-player campaigns, multiplayer modes, visuals, and sound design. It was a commercial success, selling over 15 million copies. The next game in the franchise, Battlefield V, was announced on May 23, 2018 and was released on November 20, 2018.

13. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (1997) - PlayStation

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is a platform video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the second game in the Crash Bandicoot series, and the sequel to the original game.

Taking place on a fictional group of islands near Australia, Crash Bandicoot 2 follows the adventures of the anthropomorphic bandicoot Crash. Crash is abducted by series villain Doctor Neo Cortex, who tricks him into thinking he wants to save the world. Crash is thrust into several parts of N. Sanity Island in order to gather Crystals that will allow Cortex to contain the power of an upcoming planetary alignment and keep the planet from being destroyed. Crash's sister Coco and Cortex's former assistant Doctor Nitrus Brio try to warn him about Cortex, with the latter urging Crash to gather gems instead of crystals.

Cortex Strikes Back received generally favorable reviews from critics and was considered to be superior to its predecessor. Much of the praise went to the game's graphics, control and music, with major criticisms varying between the trial-and-error gameplay, lack of level variety, easy boss levels and lack of innovation. The game went on to become one of the best-selling PlayStation video games of all time and replaced its predecessor as the highest-selling Western title in Japan at the time, selling more than 800,000 copies in the country by April 1998. A remastered version was included in the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy collection, released on the PlayStation 4 in June 2017, and ported to other platforms in June 2018.

12. Star Wars Battlefront (2015) - PlayStation 4

Star Wars Battlefront is an action shooter video game developed by EA DICE, with additional work from Criterion Games, and published by Electronic Arts. The game, based on the Star Wars film franchise, is the third major release in the Star Wars: Battlefront sub-series, and is considered a reboot to the previous games, instead of a sequel, to reflect the new Star Wars canon that Lucasfilm established (to replace the Star Wars expanded universe) after being acquired by The Walt Disney Company. The game was released worldwide in November 2015 and received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay, visuals, musical scores and high production values, but criticized its lack of content in both single and multiplayer modes. More than 14 million copies have been shipped. A sequel, Star Wars Battlefront II, was released on November 17, 2017.

11. Fallout 4 (2015) - PlayStation 4

Fallout 4 is an action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fourth main game in the Fallout series and was released worldwide on November 10, 2015, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game is set within an open world post-apocalyptic environment that encompasses the city of Boston and the surrounding Massachusetts region known as "The Commonwealth". The main story takes place in the year 2287, ten years after the events of Fallout 3 and 210 years after "The Great War", which caused catastrophic nuclear devastation across the United States.

The player assumes control of a character referred to as the "Sole Survivor", who emerges from a long-term cryogenic stasis in Vault 111, an underground nuclear fallout shelter. After witnessing the murder of their spouse and kidnapping of their son, the Sole Survivor ventures out into the Commonwealth to search for their missing child. The player explores the game's dilapidated world, completes various quests, helps out factions, and acquires experience points to level up and increase the abilities of their character. New features to the series include the ability to develop and manage settlements and an extensive crafting system where materials scavenged from the environment can be used to craft drugs and explosives, upgrade weapons and armor, and construct, furnish and improve settlements. Fallout 4 also marks the first game in the series to feature full voice acting for the protagonist.

Fallout 4 received positive reviews from critics with many praising the world depth, player freedom, overall amount of content, crafting, and soundtrack, while criticism was mainly directed at the game's visuals and technical issues. The game was a commercial and critical success, generating $750 million within the first 24 hours of its launch, and received numerous accolades from various gaming publications and award events, including the respective awards for Game of the Year and Best Game at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and British Academy Games Awards. Bethesda has released six downloadable content add-ons, including the expansions Far Harbor and Nuka-World.

10. Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018) - PlayStation 4

Marvel's Spider-Man is a 2018 action-adventure game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Based on the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man, it is inspired by the long-running comic book mythology and adaptations in other media. In the main storyline, the super-human crime lord Mister Negative orchestrates a plot to seize control of New York City's criminal underworld. When Mister Negative threatens to release a deadly virus, Spider-Man must confront him and protect the city while dealing with the personal problems of his civilian persona, Peter Parker.

Gameplay is presented from the third-person perspective with a primary focus on Spider-Man's traversal and combat abilities. Spider-Man can freely move around New York City, interacting with characters, undertaking missions, and unlocking new gadgets and suits by progressing through the main story or completing tasks. Outside the story, the player is able to complete side missions to unlock additional content and collectible items. Combat focuses on chaining attacks together and using the environment and webs to incapacitate numerous foes while avoiding damage.

Development of Spider-Man, the first licensed game by Insomniac in its then-22-year history, began in 2014 and took approximately four years. Insomniac was given the choice of using any character from Marvel's catalog to work on; Spider-Man was chosen both for his appeal to the employees and the similarities in traversal gameplay to their previous game Sunset Overdrive (2014). The game design took inspiration from the history of Spider-Man across all media but Marvel Comics and Insomniac wanted to tell an original story that was not linked to an existing property, creating a unique universe (known as Earth-1048) that has since appeared in novels, merchandise, and comics.

Spider-Man was released for the PlayStation 4 on September 7, 2018. The game received praise for its narrative, characterization, combat, and web-swinging traversal mechanics, although some criticized its open-world design for lacking innovation. A number of reviewers called it one of the best superhero games ever made, some comparing it favorably to the Batman: Arkham series. It won several year-end accolades from a variety of gaming publications, critics, and game award ceremonies. Spider-Man became one of the fastest-selling games of the year, one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games of all time, and the fastest-selling superhero game in the United States. Spider-Man was followed by a story-based, three-part downloadable content, Spider-Man: The City that Never Sleeps, which was released monthly from October to December 2018. A Game of the Year edition was released in August 2019.

09. Final Fantasy VII (1997) - PlayStation, PlayStation 4

Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console. It is the seventh main installment in the Final Fantasy series. Published in Japan by Square, it was released in other regions by Sony Computer Entertainment and became the first in the main series to see a PAL release. The game's story follows Cloud Strife, a mercenary who joins an eco-terrorist organization to stop a world-controlling megacorporation from using the planet's life essence as an energy source. Events send Cloud and his allies in pursuit of Sephiroth, a superhuman who seeks to wound the planet and harness its healing power in order to be reborn as a demigod. During the journey, Cloud builds close friendships with his party members, including Aerith Gainsborough, who holds the secret to saving their world.

Development began in 1994, originally for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. After delays and technical difficulties from experimenting on several platforms, Square moved production to the PlayStation, largely due to the advantages of the CD-ROM format. Veteran Final Fantasy staff returned, including series creator and producer Hironobu Sakaguchi, director Yoshinori Kitase, and composer Nobuo Uematsu. The title became the first in the series to use full motion video and 3D computer graphics, which featured 3D character models superimposed over 2D pre-rendered backgrounds. Although the gameplay systems remained mostly unchanged from previous entries, Final Fantasy VII introduced more widespread science fiction elements and a more realistic presentation. The game had a staff of over 100, with a combined development and marketing budget of around US$80 million.

Assisted by a large promotional campaign, Final Fantasy VII received widespread commercial and critical success and remains widely regarded as a landmark title and one of the greatest video games of all time. The title won numerous Game of the Year awards and was acknowledged for boosting the sales of the PlayStation and popularizing Japanese role-playing games worldwide. Critics praised its graphics, gameplay, music, and story, although some criticism was directed towards its original English localization. Its success has led to enhanced ports on various platforms, a multimedia subseries called the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, and an upcoming high-definition remake for the PlayStation 4.

07. Uncharted 4: AThief’s End (2016) - PlayStation 4

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the fourth main entry in the Uncharted series. Set three years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, players control Nathan Drake, a former treasure hunter coaxed out of retirement by his estranged brother Samuel. With Nathan's longtime partner, Sullivan, they search for clues for the location of Henry Avery's long-lost treasure. A Thief's End is played from a third-person perspective, and incorporates platformer elements. Players solve puzzles and use firearms, melee combat, and stealth to combat enemies. In the online multiplayer mode, up to ten players engage in co-operative and competitive modes.

Development of Uncharted 4 began in 2011, soon after the release of Uncharted 3. It was led by creative director Amy Hennig and game director Justin Richmond. Development was hampered in 2014 due to Hennig and Richmond's departure from Naughty Dog; they were replaced by Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. The team sought to incorporate elements of open-world gameplay, with larger levels to encourage free-roaming exploration and combat. The relationship between Nathan and Elena was central, and Naughty Dog attempted to humanize them more than in previous games. A Thief's End was released in May 2016 for the PlayStation 4. It was Naughty Dog's first game developed specifically for the PlayStation 4. The team took advantage of the advanced hardware to process larger dynamic environments.

Following its announcement in November 2013, A Thief's End was widely anticipated. The game was acclaimed by reviewers, particularly for its gameplay, narrative, emotional depth, visuals, and multiplayer. Several reviewers found the game a worthy conclusion to Nathan's story. It won several year-end accolades, including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications, critics, and game award ceremonies. With over 15 million copies sold, it is the highest-selling Uncharted game and one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games. A standalone expansion, The Lost Legacy, was released in 2017.

07. FIFA 18 (2017) - PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3

FIFA 18 is a football simulation video game in the FIFA series, developed and published by Electronic Arts and was released worldwide on 29 September 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. It is the 25th instalment in the FIFA series. Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo appears as the cover athlete of the regular edition; Brazilian footballer Ronaldo appears on the cover of the Icon edition of the game.

FIFA 18 is the second instalment in the series to use the Frostbite 3 game engine, although some versions of the game use a different game engine. The PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows and Xbox One versions include a continuation of "The Journey" a story-based mode that was originally in FIFA 17 entitled "The Journey: Hunter Returns". The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, known as FIFA 18: Legacy Edition, do not contain any new gameplay features aside from updated kits and squads.

06. Minecraft (2011) - PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita

Minecraft is a sandbox video game developed by Mojang. Minecraft was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language and was released as a public alpha for personal computers in 2009 before officially releasing in November 2011, with Jens Bergensten taking over development around then. It has since been ported to various platforms and is the bestselling video game of all time, with over 180 million copies sold across all platforms and over 112 million monthly active players by 2019.

In Minecraft, players explore a blocky, procedurally-generated 3D world, and may discover and extract raw materials, craft tools, build structures or earthworks, and depending on game mode, can fight computer-controlled "mobs", as well as either cooperate with or compete against other players in the same world. These modes include a survival mode, in which players must acquire resources to build the world and maintain health, and a creative mode, where players have unlimited resources. Players can modify the game to create new gameplay mechanics, items, and assets.

Minecraft has been critically acclaimed, winning several awards and being cited of the most influential and greatest video games of all time. Social media, parodies, adaptations, merchandise, and the annual MineCon conventions played large roles in popularizing the game. It has also been used in educational environments, especially in the realm of computing systems, as virtual computers and hardware devices have been built in it. In 2014, Mojang and the Minecraft intellectual property were purchased by Microsoft for US$2.5 billion. A number of spin-off games have also been produced, such as Minecraft: Story Mode, Minecraft Dungeons, and Minecraft Earth.

05. The Last of Us (2013) - PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4

The Last of Us is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States. The Last of Us is played from a third-person perspective. Players use firearms and improvised weapons, and can use stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus. In the online multiplayer mode, up to eight players engage in cooperative and competitive gameplay.

Development of The Last of Us began in 2009, soon after the release of Naughty Dog's previous game, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. For the first time in the company's history, Naughty Dog split into two teams; while one team developed Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, the other half developed The Last of Us. The relationship between Joel and Ellie became the focus, with all other elements developed around it. Actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson portrayed Joel and Ellie respectively through voice and motion capture, and assisted creative director Neil Druckmann with the development of the characters and story. The original score was composed and performed by Gustavo Santaolalla.

Following its announcement in December 2011, The Last of Us was widely anticipated. It was released for the PlayStation 3 in June 2013, and for the PlayStation 4 in July 2014. Upon release, it received critical acclaim, with praise directed at its narrative, gameplay, visuals, sound design, characterization, and depiction of female characters. The Last of Us became one of the best-selling video games of all time, selling over 1.3 million units in its first week and 17 million by April 2018. The game won year-end accolades, including multiple Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications, critics, and game award ceremonies, and is considered one of the greatest video games ever made.

After the game's release, Naughty Dog released several downloadable content additions. The Last of Us: Left Behind adds a single-player campaign following Ellie and her best friend Riley. A sequel, The Last of Us Part II, was announced in December 2016.

04. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) - PlayStation 4

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the Red Dead series and is a prequel to the 2010 game Red Dead Redemption. The story is set in 1899 in a fictionalized representation of the Western, Midwestern and Southern United States and follows outlaw Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang. Arthur must deal with the decline of the Wild West whilst attempting to survive against government forces, rival gangs, and other adversaries. The story also follows fellow gang member John Marston, the protagonist of Red Dead Redemption.

The game is presented through both first and third-person perspectives, and the player may freely roam in its interactive open world. Gameplay elements include shootouts, heists, hunting, horseback riding, interacting with non-player characters (NPCs), and maintaining the character's honor rating through moral choices and deeds. A bounty system similar to the "wanted" system from the Grand Theft Auto franchise governs the response of law enforcement and bounty hunters to crimes committed by the player. Red Dead Redemption 2 was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in October 2018, and for Microsoft Windows and Stadia in November 2019. Red Dead Online, the online multiplayer mode of the game, was released as a beta version in November 2018 before a full release in May 2019.

The game's development began soon after Red Dead Redemption's release and was shared between all of Rockstar's studios worldwide. The development team drew influence from real locations as opposed to film or art, focused on creating an accurate reflection of the time with the game's characters and world. The game was Rockstar's first built specifically for eighth generation consoles, having tested their technical capabilities while porting Grand Theft Auto V to the platforms. The game's soundtrack features an original score composed by Woody Jackson and several vocal tracks produced by Daniel Lanois.

Broadly anticipated and marketed before release, Red Dead Redemption 2 broke several records and had the second-biggest launch in the history of entertainment, generating $725 million in sales from its opening weekend and exceeding the lifetime sales of Red Dead Redemption in two weeks. It received widespread critical acclaim, with praise directed at its story, characters, open world, graphics, and considerable level of detail. Minor criticism was given to the game's control scheme and mission structure. Considered as an example of video games as an art form, it won year-end accolades including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications. It is among the best-selling video games of all time with over 29 million copies shipped.

03. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (2001) - PlayStation 2

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (グランツーリスモ3: A-spec, Guran Tsūrisumo Surī Ei-supekku) is a 2001 racing game, the first in the Gran Turismo series released for the PlayStation 2. During its demonstration at E3 2000 and E3 2001 the game's working title was Gran Turismo 2000. The game was a critical and commercial success and went on to become one of the best-selling video games of all time. Its aggregate score of 94.54% on GameRankings makes it the second-highest rated racing video game of all time. It has been listed as one of the greatest video games of all time.

02. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015) - PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is a 2015 first-person shooter video game, developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It is the twelfth entry in the Call of Duty series and the sequel to the 2012 video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II. It was released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 6, 2015. A feature-limited version developed by Beenox and Mercenary Technology that only supports multiplayer modes was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and was also the final Call of Duty title released on those platforms.

Black Ops III takes place in 2065, 40 years after the events of Black Ops II, in a world facing upheaval from climate change and new technologies. Similar to its predecessors, the story follows a group of black ops soldiers. The game's campaign is designed to support 4-player cooperative gameplay, allowing for bigger, more open level design and less corridor shooting. As the player character is cybernetically enhanced, players have access to various special activities. The game also features a standalone Zombies mode, and a "Nightmares" mode which replaces all enemies as zombies.

Announced on April 26, 2015, the game is the first Call of Duty video game released after Activision parted with Microsoft Studios and partnered with Sony Computer Entertainment, which secured the timed exclusivity of the game's downloadable content. Upon release, the game received generally positive reviews from critics, albeit slightly lower than the previous two games in the sub-series, with critics praising the gameplay, Zombies mode, and amount of content. However, it was criticized for its story, absence of fan favorite story mode characters, and lack of innovation. The seventh-generation console versions in particular were criticized for the lack of a campaign and numerous features, as well as it being online-only. It was a commercial success, with it becoming the top-selling retail game in the US in 2015, and one of the most successful titles released for the eighth generation of video game consoles. A sequel, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, was released in October 2018.

01. Grand Theft Auto V (2013) - PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4

Grand Theft Auto V is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the first main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series since 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, based on Southern California, the single-player story follows three criminals and their efforts to commit heists while under pressure from a government agency and powerful crime figures. The open world design lets players freely roam San Andreas' open countryside and the fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles.

The game is played from either a third-person or first-person perspective, and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Players control the three lead protagonists throughout single-player and switch among them, both during and outside missions. The story is centred on the heist sequences, and many missions involve shooting and driving gameplay. A "wanted" system governs the aggression of law enforcement response to players who commit crimes. Grand Theft Auto Online, the game's online multiplayer mode, lets up to 30 players engage in a variety of different cooperative and competitive game modes.

The game's development began soon after Grand Theft Auto IV's release and was shared between many of Rockstar's studios worldwide. The development team drew influence from many of their previous projects such as Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3 and designed the game around three lead protagonists to innovate on the core structure of its predecessors. Much of the development work constituted the open world's creation, and several team members conducted field research around California to capture footage for the design team. The game's soundtrack features an original score composed by a team of producers who collaborated over several years. It was released in September 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and in April 2015 for Microsoft Windows.

Extensively marketed and widely anticipated, the game broke industry sales records and became the fastest-selling entertainment product in history, earning $800 million in its first day and $1 billion in its first three days. It received widespread critical acclaim, with praise directed at its multiple protagonist design, open world, presentation and gameplay. However, it caused controversies related to its depiction of violence and women. Considered one of seventh and eighth generation console gaming's most significant titles and among the best video games ever made, it won year-end accolades including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications. It is the third best-selling video game of all time with over 120 million copies shipped and one of the most financially successful entertainment products of all time, with about $6 billion in worldwide revenue.

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writersalley · 4 years

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#Repost @jimmypattersonbooks with @make_repost ・・・ #Repost: @muse__of__dreams • “The path humans took through time was less the mythical arrow of progress, and more of a squiggle that doubled back on itself, curling and looping. A roller coaster designed by a drunkard.�� Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy ,Once & Future Rating: 4/5 🌟 Author: Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy Publisher: Jimmy Patterson Books Release Date: 4/7/2020 __________________________________ Sword in the Stars was everything I hoped that it would be. It is well written and I was easily drawn back into Amy’s & Cori’s Arthurian universe. Merlin is still my favorite character. I just love his personality and his relationship with Val. I thought it was really entering how past and present collided. There is a really neat twist that evolves almost all of the cast of characters. I was really sad when I turned the last page. I did not want it to end. Once and Future is a duology and I feel like Sword in the Stars , wrapped things up well. Maybe not the prefect bow , it did leave things open for a possible continuation of the series. Which I am totally okay with. I would love to see a spin off with Lam, and one of Merlin & Val. ________________________________ #swordinthestars #onceandfuture #ari #merlin #arthur #gwen #lam #val #corimccarthy #amyrosecapetta #2020release #april2020 #honestreview #bookreview #bibliophile #bibliomania #bibliomaniac #biblio #bookworm #bookdragon #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #bookadore https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Pad64l4FK/?igshid=118mq8jhm8y86

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daniellesreadingnook · 5 years

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Please go check it out!! Thanks!!

My YouTube: Danielle’s Reading Nook

#youtube #youtuber #sjtr #stalking jack the ripper #hpd #hunting prince dracula #efh #escaping from houdini #ctd #capturing the devil #kerri maniscalco #jimmy patterson #jimmy patterson presents #audrey rose wadsworth #thomas cresswell #becoming the dark prince #btdp #cressworth

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jazzviewswithcjshearn · 5 years

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In depth live review: Pat Metheny Side Eye at Sony Hall, September 13, 2019

Pat Metheny Side Eye, Sony Hall, 9/13/19

Pat Metheny: acoustic, and electric guitars, orchestrionics, guitar synth; James Francies: acoustic piano, keyboards, electronics; Marcus Gilmore: drums.

Over the past few years guitarist Pat Metheny has been extending the tradition in jazz of mentoring young musicians on the band stand the way Miles Davis, Art Blakey, and currently, the way Wallace Roney, Herbie Hancock, Gary Burton and Chick Corea have done. It's a practice that is rarer and rarer in the music as some of the legends who have done so have passed on, and because the music got a boost in the 70's from academia, the kind of university of the street aspect of playing on the road has been minimized. The guitarist's Side Eye project premise is simple: play with young musicians who've grown up on his music that have caught his attention and see the ways in which they can approach his massive catalog. It is thoroughly in the tradition, albeit his own unique tradition and spawns from his invitation of young musicians to his New York home, and spending large amounts of time with a wide cross section of his own tunes. On the evening of September 13th at Sony Hall in New York City flanked by cameras for an NHK Japanese broadcast, the group, spurred on by an appreciative sold out audience played a continuous two and a half hours of inspired music making.

Indeed, the sort of all encompassing approach of including his entire catalog under one roof has been in play for quite a long time now. For the past several years with his current quartet featuring pianist Gwilym Simcock, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Antonio Sanchez, and on the final Japanese tour of the Pat Metheny Group with the core quartet, Metheny explored rarely played classics to the delight of audiences all over the world. Though the cast of musicians has rotated including Nate Smith, and Anwar Marshall, James Francies on keyboards and synth bass has remained a constant. With the trio of Francies and Marcus Gilmore on drums for the summer tour not only did he investigate gems from his book of more than 500 compositions, he expanded on them, and wrote new music that took the band's individual personalities to full effect without sacrificing the selfless whole of the superior musicianship on display.

James Francies has been rising quickly on the jazz scene with his Blue Note debut Flight. He is among a cadre of musicians helping bring younger audiences to jazz blending hip hop, R&B, soul and gospel influences along with Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge, Chris Dave and Unity Band/Unity Group alumnus Ben Williams. In Francies, not only has Metheny found an ideal partner that pianistically is a huge contrast to Hancock, Lyle Mays, Paul Bley, Brad Mehldau, and Simcock, but is equally fearless in presenting a borderless perspective to the music. Marcus Gilmore the 32 year old grandson of the legendary Roy Haynes, has logged valuable time with Chris Potter, Chick Corea's Vigil, and Vigelette trio, David Virelles, and Will Vinson. Like Francies he is deeply immersed not in only Metheny's universe but everything in the contemporary music scene.

As the lights gradually faded up on stage, the guitarist uncharacteristically, and energetically began the evening by speaking to the audience, about how great his musical compatriots were and they wasted little time, getting into the first of a pair of Ornette Coleman compositions during the evening, the classic “Turnaround” that Metheny recorded on 80/81 (ECM, 1980). Metheny dug right into Gilmore's medium tempo swing on the basic 12 bar blues form. Around the third or fourth guitar chorus, Francies dropped out so Metheny could stroll with Gilmore's support and with a chordal instrument like piano dropping out, there is no safety net with the harmony so things become totally open. Buoyed by Gilmore's insistent ride, the guitarist swung harder, and harder. When it was Francies turn to take the first of several dazzling solos, Metheny demonstrated a rarely shown aspect of his comping by playing four to the bar chords a la Freddie Green in the Count Basie band. The only recorded evidence of Metheny applying the technique appeared on “The Moon Song” from Beyond the Missouri Sky (Verve, 1997) with Charlie Haden, and in the context of the Coleman blues, showed his deep love of the jazz guitar tradition.

Francies was transcendant on “Bright Size Life” with a turn on Rhodes that displayed some dizzying counterpoint between his left hand on synth bass, and right hand on Rhodes. He is a very lyrical, melodic player and has chops in spades, but never overwhelms. At 22 years old he is absolutely prodigious, not only with a thorough knowledge of the jazz traditional but equally at home in gospel and R&B. When the keyboardist moved to Hammond organ (playing a Hammond XK-5, a digital, compact version of a B-3) for Metheny's rarely played “Timeline” from the late Michael Brecker's Time is Of the Essence (Verve, 1999) he revealed another sterling aspect of his musical personality. Boosted by Gilmore's deep pocket swing, he soloed with the right hand on the lower manual with first three drawbars out; percussion off, and went from the blues to gospel with ease, supported by his own solid left hand bass on the upper manual. The technique is the opposite of the jazz organ style and stems from Francies gospel roots. The piece was a window into what a Metheny organ trio would have been like, entrenched in the established paradigm but pushing forward in it's own way. Metheny was relaxed, swinging and diving into his improvisation with fervor, mid solo, stepping on a pedal to let a note on his Slaman hollow body ring out emulating the shout, or drone pattern. The drone pattern is something countless organists from Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Don Patterson and Joey DeFrancesco have used. It involves holding down the tonic (involving only notes proper to the prevailing key without chromatic alteration constructed from a diatonic scale) , and “shouting” with the other notes around it, a technique originated from the church. Metheny also used this technique on “Tune Blues” from The Cuong Vu Trio Meets Pat Metheny (2015) a throwback to his days of playing in organ trios coming up in Kansas City, and this exploration of another rarely heard facet of his musical personality was a joy, and shows how his playing is entering a new phase.

Over the first hour as the guitarist examined old favorites with gusto, the most striking revamp was on “Better Days Ahead”. Though the tune has early versions in collector's circles dating back to 1981 or 2, it was first recorded in 1989 with the PMG on Letter From Home. Taking into account a zone that Francies, and Gilmore are well acquainted with, Metheny turned the sunny Brazilian inspired melody into a dark, smoky, sexy funky R&B backbeat that framed his signature lyrical delivery in a new way with the guitarist leaning deep into Gilmore's groove. The drummer, who had a smoking feature a bit earlier on Coleman's “The Good Life” took a bit from the Steve Gadd R&B feel, playing the kick drum on 1 and 3, complemented by streaming cymbals up top adding to the funkines. It was easily one of the most radical transformations of a classic Metheny tune, and a highlight over 2 and a half hours.

After a tender “Message To A Friend” which debuted on John Scofield's I Can See Your House From Here (Blue Note, 1994) the center piece of the set was a suite of three new pieces composed for the band. Metheny explained to the audience that the flexibility of Francies and Gilmore gave him free reign to go into the area that interests him humorously quipping “I can write a piece with 49 pages of written material”. Francies set the tone with glittering sequenced synths, that served as an extension of the electronics heard on the title track of the Unity Group's Kin (<->) as some trademark Metheny harmonies from synths, wafted into the atmosphere. The guitarist began with a descending melody line doubled by bass that transitioned into different sections aided by a baby version of the large Orchestrion, the acoustic mechanical instrument ensemble a part of his arsenal now for a decade. Metheny took two solos on the venerable Roland GR300 guitar synthesizer, with the second in heightened intensity guided by the heavy African flavor of the Orchestrion in tandem with Gilmore's cymbals. Gilmore demonstrated his fluency in Metheny's distinct bebop based camouflaged ride cymbal approach here, but was still infused with a looseness from his constant interaction with the guitarist. Throughout, Francies punctuation with gorgeously ambient analog like synth, and organ provided colors not heard in the music since Lyle Mays' tenure in the Metheny orbit, but his use of these electronica spiced colors added something found in the Houston based pianists own music, that is new an fresh in Metheny's oeuvre. After Metheny reprised the initial melody, the enthralling, cinematic new piece faded into the ether.

From there, Carolyn Chrzan, Metheny's long time guitar tech handed him a solid body electric that has been rarely seen (though it is spotted in the Orchestrion World Tour 2010 poster) and the trio launched into a moody, blues-rock ballad. Metheny started alone, playing a melody that at first vaguely seemed to suggest “Travels” but as it turned out was something completely new. Fans who have seen Side Eye have reported the tune as sounding seemingly un Metheny like, more in line with Eric Clapton or Eric Johnson. While they are correct the tune is somewhat reminiscent of music from them, and improvisation wise took him to less traveled roads, the melody was pure Metheny. He built into a distorted solo of raging intensity, Gilmore's rock beat and Francies' organ unyielding behind him. From the shouts in the audience, and heads bopping, the tune was completely satisfying and would be a winner on a recording as would the first new piece. Metheny returned to the GR300 for the final new tune, starting with a Coltrane like meditation, and once more, building up to a slow tension and release, utilizing his favorite double time device with drums and Orchestrion. His guitar synth playing this night was vibrant, energized, and he played more GR300 than perhaps any time I've seen him. With the GR300 he can get into the range of an alto or soprano saxophonist and in small group settings, as with the closing, much faster than usual “When We Were Free” (featuring a gorgeous Pikasso guitar intro) he can really channel the mid to late period Coltrane vibe, mixed with Ornette Coleman harmolodic asides. On both hollow body and guitar synth, the trumpet like aspect of his playing was on display more than ever as well. The show closed with an evolved acoustic medley of favorites that has been played as a closer since the Kin (↔) tour.

Pat Metheny, like Miles Davis, has been constantly evolving as a musician. His playing has been arguably better than ever and Side Eye is a wonderful forum to house all his instincts in one place, perhaps moreso than the Unity Group band and tour. As great as that band and resulting albums were and are, Side Eye offers something undeniably vital. Jazz is a music that thrives on adding to it's rich traditions and history. At it's best the music reveres it's tradition while moving things ahead into the possibilities of the present and looks towards the future. While there are a segment of fans who pine for the return of the Pat Metheny Group, which dissolved in 2010 after more than 30 years, Metheny is giving younger generations who grew up completely familiar in his unique musical universe, the chance to make their mark in their voice, opening new vistas. The thing that everyone loves about him is still there, Metheny can play densely or lyrically-- it's just expanded to greater capacity, eschewing the fat for more concise solos and tunes. He's doing what every great jazz musician should do and that's move forward. Side Eye very well may be the finest group he’s lead in years.

#pat metheny #james francies #marcus gilmore

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